Effects of plant-based high-fiber diet on blood cholesterol profile and cardiovascular health in growing Long Evans rats

Highlights•The effects of a plant-based high-fiber diet on the lipid profile have been investigated.•Plant-based high-fiber diets encourage depressing organ-specific fat deposition.•A high-fiber, low-fat diet diminishes the lipid profile in hyperlipidemic rats.SummaryBlood cholesterol profile is sharply affiliated with multiple cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) including CHD, RHD, arrhythmia, stroke, etc. High fiber diets are considered as a diet therapy supplementation to reduce blood cholesterol profile. The study investigated the impact of a plant-based high-fiber diet, including soup powder as a supplementary food, on reducing blood cholesterol and organ-specific fat deposition in Long Evans rats. About 60 rats with approximately 50–60 g of weight was equally (n = 10) divided into one control diet and five experimental groups. At the end of the two-phase (six-week and twelve-week feeding), half of the rats in each diet group (n = 5) were sacrificed, and the required analytical tests were performed. Treatment with high-fiber diet group F (high-fat diet 20% + high-fiber diet 80%) comparatively had the lowest TG, TC, LDL-C, and VLDL-C levels than all other diet groups in both phases. In the six-week high-fiber diet treatment, HDL-C was reduced compared to the control and high-fat diet, while after the twelve-week high-fiber (group F) diet treatment, HDL-C was significantly (P<0.05) increased compared to all other diet groups.